Music-roll and apparatus to be used in connection therewith.



H. P. BALL. V MUSIC ROLL AND AIPARATUS TO BE USED IN CONNECTION THEEEWIPH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN;22,190'I.

Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

9 F1 G11. FIGlZ.

roll, whereby the guidin UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY PRICE BALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SAMUEL INSULL, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MUS IC-R OLL AND APPARATUS TO BE USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.

To all whom it may concemi 7 Be it known that I, HENRY PRICE BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvemerits in Music-Rolls and Apparatus tofbe- Used in Connection Therewith, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to music rolls such as are adapted for use on mechanical-musical instruments.

My invention consists, first: In the construction of the supportin body for the anges and sup. portin and driving spin les may be readily secure to the supporting body and the supporting body ad usted to the width of the to the ty music strip to be wound thereon. Second:

In the construction of the supporting and drivin spindles for the music roll, whereby the rol may be used on any type of mechanical musical instrument, and irres ctive of the position, in such instrument, off he drivin mechanism for the rolls and maybe driven from either or both ends according of instrument.

The o jects of my invention broadly stated, are: To providea music roll which may be used on any mechanical musical instrument, and irrespective of the position, in such instrument of the driving mechanism for the roll or t edirection of movement of the music stri whether to or from the performer. In 0 er words,-it is one object of my invention to provide a universal music roll which may be used on any mechanical musical instrument em loying a roll of a given len To provide a simple and easy method 0 constructin and assembling the parts of the music roIl and adjustin the supporting body to the varying widt s of the music strip'at the time when the parts forming the complete roll are assembled.

The accompanying drawings will serveto illustrate my invention. V

-'F'gure 1 is}; front elevation-of aimusic roll and the supporting and driving,mem-- bers of a ianola the cheek pieces of the instrument ing shown in section. Fig. 2

is a transverse section taken through the music roll, tracker-board, and take-up roll of a Fpianola, the arrow indicating the direction of movement of the music strip, which v is towards the erformer. Fig. 3 is a view showing, in ovation and section.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 22, 1907. Serial No. 353,410.

Patented Oct. 13, mos.-

t-lie supporting and driving membersot ,a'

pianola and the corresponding support ng and driving spindlesof a music roll as modified according to my invention, this view showing the relation of said parts. Fig. his

a front View of the clutch of the driving member of, a pianola, looking from the left of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sec- (U011 of a music roll and its supporting and w th the drivin members P through the music roll, tracker-board, and

' take-u roll ofan an elus the arrow indieating thedirection of motion of the music strip, which is from the performer. Fig. '7 is a view corresponding to Fi 3, with the driving members at the left instead of at "the right as in Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a front'view of the clutch of the driving member of an angelus looking from the right. Figs. 9 and 10 are respectively an end view and, vertical section of a modified form of clutch member. Figs. 11,12, and 13 are respectively a plan view, a vertical section, and an end view of another modified form of clutch member. Fi 14 is a vertical section of another 'modi ed form of clutch member.

In the drawin 20 indicates a perforated and marked music strip, 21 supporting body therefor. Such supporting be may con sist of a solid cylinder of wood iorot'her ma be formed as a tube. of paper terial, or ma made byrolfing up a wide sheet of paper, one layer upon another, or of a. narrow strip wound spirall in the manner usual in constructing mai ing, tubes. Instead of aper other material. may be used which wil expand and contract in accordance, with, the expansion and contraction of the music strip thereon. I prefer tomake thesuppqrtmg body in two sections or tubes and connect them together telescopically at the center by means of'a short tube 22'. At one end or both ends of the supporting body I locate washers 23, whosepurpose willfhere'after be explained. I My reason for making the 'spool in, wo sections .and' joinin them is to'provi e for inequalities in t ewidth of the music strip, as in practice I havefound that the musicstrip is variable in width, and, further, that the supporting body should outer edges of the wings, and, further, I may preferably be adjusted to the width of the music strip after the flanges 24 have been secured to the ends ofthe' supporting body.

By securing the flan es to the ends of the supportin body be ore securing the two. parts of tld e supporting body together, I am enabled to more readily attach the flanges and adjust them so as to be vertical relative to the horizontal axis.

In order that the music roll maybe driven from either end or from both ends, there are located at each end driving pins, spindles, or clutch members, and these may vary in 7 form. InFigs. 3 and 7 thedrivin spindles 26 are shown as having a s ecial s ape, that is---they consist of a: cylin rical 'pin 27 havpeculiarly shaped lateral Wings 28.

ese wings are thin radialextensions from the sides of the pins. There maybe twowings or four wings, as desired. The wings I as pairs are V-shaped, with the point of the I win beginning at the end of the pin and stated, there may be two win ually extending in 'width to the flanges Instead of making the wings collectively V-shaped in pairs, I may curve ,the

carry thewings either to the forward end of the pin oriback to the flanges. As before adapted to co-act with the 'driving mem r 29 of-the pianola as shown in Fi 4, in which case both ends of the music ro 1 would be alike,- or four wings adapted to co-act with the 7 driving member-29 of the angelus, as shown in Fig. 8, in which case the end clutches would have a different number of wings, which is of advantageas such con struction would prevent the insertion of the music roll in a wrong position in theinstr'ument.

It willjbe' seen by reference to Fi .3 and I, (at the right of Fig. 3, at the left of Fig. 7) that the driving spindle 26, at one end of the music roll, asthe case may be, en ages with, fits in, and is rotated by the drlving member 29 of the mechanical musical in strument, and that ,When rotation is im- I parted to the music rollby the driving spin-.

le 26 and the driving member 29 at one end offthe mu's1c roll, the opposite driving spintile-26 at the other end of the music roll turns freely in the cavity of the sup orting member 30. This cavity is ta ere in all forms of commercial mechanica musical instruments using music rolls to allow the ordinary sup orting pin to be easily removed after t e music spool has been moved to one side, as otherwise it would bindin being removed. I take advantage of this taper in the member 30 to allow the wings 28 to enter the cavity, butit is not essential that they enter .to the bottom of the cavity, for in practice I have found that my spool is operative if only the extreme end of the spindle 26 enters and thus forms, a bearing for the end of the music roll opposite to its driving end.

In Figs. land 5 the spindles 26 are driven into the flanges 24. In. these figures, the

.flanges 24 have a central projection 25 fitting into the ends of the supporting body 21 and have openings therein to allow freeaccess of air to the inside of the supporting body,

as I find it necessary to allow air to enter in order that the music roll will properly adjust itself. I

Figs. 9 and 10 show a modified form of driving spindle, which'consists of a fiat body portion or punching 35 provided with three arms which are turned back up n themselves and over the supporting. booy tween it and the flange 24. I The clutching portion 36 corresponds to the form shown in 1, 3, 5,-and 7. a

Figs. 11, 12, and 13 show another form of driving spindle, which consists of a body portion or punching 37 provided with four arms, two of which, 38,'are serrated along both edges, and two, 39, plain, clutching portion 40 corresponding to Figs. 1, 3, 5, and 7. The arms 38 are bent backward in any suitable manner until parallel and then inserted within the tubular portion of the flange 24. The uppercnds of the arms 39 are turned backward at their ends and forced into the face of the flange 24 for additional stability .and finish.-

Fig. 14 shows another form of driving spindle, which consists of apportion having .two members 41' and 42, and a clutch member 43 connected to the portion 42. The portion 41 is provided with a concentric capped annular recess 44, which receives the end of the supporting body 21 and is held securely therem by spinning. or expanding the recessed portion 44 so as to hold the supporting body in such recess. The portion 42 is bent over and riveted to the portion v41. The portions 41 and 42 allow free access of air to the center of the supporting body 21.

In all of the constructions shown provision is made that air' shall find ready access to the interior of the supporting body 21,

and for the purpose which has heretofore been stated.

In assembling my improved music roll,

the music sheet is first perforated and marked and the flanges 24secured at the end of the tube. A thin Washer-23, of paperor similar material is then slipped over each end of the tube and against the back of the flanges 24. The end of the music strip is now glued to the two portions of the tube 21' and wound between the washers 23.

After this has been done, wholly or in part,

thetwo sections of the supporting body 21 21 and beand the are pressed together with the part 22 between them covered with glue and the glue allowed to harden. It will be seen that the clearance between the music strip and the flanges is governed entirely by the thickness I of the Washer 23, and thus may be, after assembling'the parts, removed if desired, or, if a close fit is wanted without clearance it may be left in place. In using my improved spool upon a pianola I may place a washer, not shown, at the right hand end of the s 001, and in front of the flange 24 to prouce the ri ht distance between the driving spindle an 7 the driving member of the instrument.

I wishit understood that I do not limit myself in any wise to the construction of the music roll as described, provided that it be such that it may be used on any type of mechanical musical instrument, and irrespective of the position, in the instrument, of the driving mechanism as I claim to be the first to have devised what may be termed a uni versal music roll capable of use in any mechanical musical instrument. Of course i it will be understood that notwithstanding I or roll having a clutch member I 5. A bearing for a music roll consistin of a member having a tapered recess, an .v another member having a wing pin with tapered wings.

6. A bearing for a music roll consisting of a non-rotating member having a circular recess, and a rotating member'having wings bearing in the recess.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY PRICE BALL.

Witnesses:

FRANK OComqoa, HARRY W. PUGH, 

